ChattanoogaHydrocollator Moist Heat HotPacs - 10" x 12" Standard Size

This thing is awesome! When you first get it, you have to soak it for four hours. I keep it in a pan of water on my stove and change the water about every week. That keeps it fresh...it smells a little like the oatmeal bath product and gets filmy if you don't change the water often enough..but, it doesn't harm it. I love it! I got the oversized and it fits in a pan on my stovetop when I fold it three times. It covers my entire back, I am a grown adult woman 5'5" 150lbs. I love this and would recommend to anyone that needs awesome treatment for anything. It is so affordable and effective. It has sturdy tabs that allow you to pick it up when it's hot in the water. It holds the heat for about an hour. I wrap it in a beach towel and lay on it.

These are a great value for the money. All the side tabs are sewn in well. I know other reviewers had issues with this, but I did not. I did have to soak them about 48 hours to get the interior "stones" to smooth out and hold water.After they were all smoothed out I would soak this in the sink with heated water from my kettle. It sustained the warm, moist heat about 20 minutes. This really works well for my "mouse shoulder". I could lay down on this with a T-shirt on and have sustained relief for about 4 hours.

My first review - healthcare workers beware. When these work as advertised, they are incredible (hence the star). Unfortunately, these packs now appear to be porous.I am an acupuncturist and East Asian Medicine physician. I have been using these products since 2005 and historically loved them. In the past few years, the quality has gone downhill. My most recent purchases for my hydrocollator were at the end of September 2023 (because packs from earlier in the year leaked) and then because my September packs leaked, once again in November 2023. For those who work with these products, cleaning out a hydrocollator is not easy on the body (I'm only 5'2") and requires I recruit my husband to come to clinic and to lift and drain, and carry again after cleaning and refilling. It's a huge pain in the a$$.When I put the new packs in my hydrocollator in early December, the water immediately turned discolored and started smelling - a sign that the packs are not sealed. To be clear, I follow the directions on the packaging to presoak everything.I am in a solo private practice, these get used < 20 a week, and only by me. I know they are being handled carefully and there is no reason they should leak out of the package, or within the year. Previously I was in a hospital setting where they were not so carefully handled, and they lasted YEARS. At this price point, where they need to be replaced monthly or more frequently, it is not sustainable for someone in the healthcare industry. I have also stopped encouraging patients to purchase for home use.I am incredibly disappointed as I've come to rely on Chatanooga products, but I will look elsewhere.I welcome feedback from Chatanooga. In 2023 alone I purchased 6 packs, four packs were bought within two weeks and none of them work. This is basically a disposable product.

For the record, I am reviewing: Chattanooga Hydrocollator Moist Heat HotPacs - 15" x 24" OversizeDisclaimer: I was a Chiropractor for 20 years and we used these in our office every single day. I purchased the full terrycloth covers for them when we used them in the office, but for home, I just use a towel.Okay, first you have to soak these in warm water for a good twelve hours before use as they have a special kind of clay in them that has to hydrate. Then you get a tall stock pot, you can use anything that you can put on the stove and heat up. You want your water to be around 115 to 120 degrees. You soak the pad in the water and leave it there maintaining your water temperature. I recommend getting a Sous Vide immersion cooker to keep your water at the right temp, get a cheap one like this one. Sous Vide Cooker Immersion Circulator, Wancle sous vide machine 850W, Ultra-Quiet, 120V, BlackOnce you have it soaked you put it in on top of two layers of towels and then on your back or wherever you need the heat. Remember to never lay on top of it, always lay it on top of you. Once you have gotten used to using it, you can adjust the temperature up a little if you like on your water bath, but remember that heat therapy should not be done for more than 20 minutes and you need a 40 minute break between heating sessions.This pad will last forever. When not in use simply allow to dehydrate and put into a plastic bag for use later.

This is really big and I didn't have a pan large enough to put it in enough water to cover it. Once I hydrated it, it swelled so much and it got so big. I will have to find a pan large enough to put hot water in and heat up so I can dip it to you. This is more labor intensive, but the kind of heat you get off of a hot pad like this is so wonderful with someone who has the need for moist heat. Once this is hydrated, you have to either store it in the freezer or you need to heat it up and use it.

I have bad arthritis in my shoulder. They use this at physical therapy not to lessen pain but to warm up the joint prior to therapy. I purchased it for the same reason when i exercise my shoulder at home. I heated in a pot which takes about 1/2 hour then apply for 1/2 hour, so it's a commitment in time. It does work and feels great.